The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has started making 3D-printed spinal braces at its Orthotic and Prosthetic Centre (OPC) in Pinelands, Cape Town. The digital scanning and printing service was launched on 5 November, International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day, and the department says a customised brace can now be ready in about 48 hours, against waits of around two weeks for a traditional plaster-cast brace.
How 3D-printed spinal braces are made at the OPC
Until now, spinal braces at the OPC were made from plaster of Paris casts, a process that is slow, labour-intensive and often uncomfortable for patients. Under the new workflow, patients are scanned standing up in light clothing, which takes a few minutes. Clinicians then adjust the brace design on screen before it is printed. The department says 3D-printed spinal braces are lighter, fit more precisely and are more comfortable to wear, and that each one costs less than half as much as a plaster equivalent.
The province invested about R5.5 million in the technology in April, according to the department. Table Talk reports that the equipment was bought from a French manufacturer through the department’s Health Technology programme. Neither report names the scanner, software or printer.
Six patients have been fitted so far. As well as scoliosis, the service covers pectus carinatum (pigeon chest), spinal tuberculosis, spinal compression fractures and spondylosis. The OPC is the only orthotic and prosthetic centre in the Western Cape public health system and runs 112 outreach services at satellite sites across the province.
“This is much lighter”
One of the first patients is 14-year-old Nashita Stellenboom from Pelican Heights. Born prematurely at 27 weeks, she was diagnosed with thoracic scoliosis at the age of 10 after a chest X-ray. Her mother, Nailah, told the department the family was offered corrective surgery or a brace, and chose the brace. Nashita has worn plaster-cast braces for four years and will continue to receive adjusted braces until she turns 18. She says her new 3D-printed brace has improved her posture, reduced her back pain and made it easier to play sport.
“A new way of working”
Western Cape Health and Wellness Minister Mireille Wenger described the printer as “a game changer for our patients”, saying early bracing can stop a spinal curve from getting worse as a child grows. OPC facility manager Bongani Mlambo said: “We are not just launching a printer, we are launching a new way of working.” He described the OPC as the first state facility in South Africa to produce spinal braces this way, and the department calls it a first on the African continent. These claims are the department’s own and have not been independently verified.
IMEA CPO Perspective
Moving a public spinal bracing service from plaster to 3D-printed spinal braces matters for two reasons. The first is time. In adolescent scoliosis, curves can progress quickly during growth spurts, so cutting the wait for a brace from weeks to days is a clinical gain, not just an administrative one. The second is wear. Bracing only works if teenagers wear the brace for long enough each day, and a lighter, closer-fitting brace that lets a patient like Nashita play sport is more likely to be worn. Plaster supply is also becoming less predictable, as our recent report on the gypsum shortage and its effect on O&P casting shows.
The scanner replaces the cast, not the orthotist. The quality of the correction still depends on the clinician who designs the brace and checks it on the patient. With six patients fitted so far, the OPC is at the start of its learning curve. Publishing simple outcome data over the next year, such as curve progression, daily wearing time, refits and cost per brace, would help other public services in South Africa and across Africa decide whether to follow. With 112 outreach sites, the OPC is also well placed to test whether scanning closer to patients’ homes can reduce travel to Cape Town. For background on how the profession developed in the country, see our history of orthotics and prosthetics in South Africa.
Sources
- Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness: Launch of 3D spinal brace service (5 November 2026)
- Table Talk: Pinelands public facility introduces 3D-printed spinal braces (5 November 2026)
- IMEA CPO: Gypsum shortage puts O&P plaster casting under pressure